When We Were Kings (1996) on Netflix
PG19961h 28mDocumentarySport
In 1974, Muhammad Ali, 32 and thought past his prime, fights heavyweight champion George Foreman. Don King offers each man five million dollars, and Zaire's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko backs it.
- Netflix4.4/5
- IMDb7.9/1019,249 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes98%
Trailer
Plot summary
Archival footage from 1974 follows the buildup to a heavyweight championship bout in Zaire between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Interviews recorded in the 1990s look back at the two fighters' careers and weigh the ethics of a fight funded by the country's dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. Ali is shown taunting Foreman and speaking about Africans and African-Americans, his rapport with Zairians contrasting with Foreman's awkward efforts at popularity, while promoter Don King works on his first big promotion. A soul festival meant to accompany the bout, with James Brown, B.B. King and The Spinners, precedes it by a month after Foreman is hurt in training.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about When We Were Kings (1996)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Leon Gast spent 22 years editing and financing When We Were Kings before it was finally released, and it went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature of 1996.
- The film's 1997 soundtrack album includes "Rumble in the Jungle", the final recording by The Fugees, made together with A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes and John Forté.
- When the film won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman joined the filmmakers on stage to show they had long since made peace after their fight, with Foreman helping Ali up the stairs.
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